Deception
by kelleybee091
Summary: Let's not ruin this with a crappy summary. Either you wanna read it or not. Rated 'T' for now.
1. Chapter 1

Ariadne

I sat quietly at my desk, a cup of black coffee to my right and a handful of ink pens scattered about to my left. _Claire de Lune_ was playing softly from the little stereo on the shelf across the room. I scratched my head with the pen I'd been using, stumped as I stared at the drawing directly in front of me. It was probably the thousandth sketch I'd done of the exact same thing for the last year. A building that - from the looks of my recreation - could only exist in a dream... because that's exactly where it was from.

It had been a year since the Fischer Inception and a year since the team broke up, but no matter how many times I tried, I could never remake the exact replica of Arthur's hotel. I sighed deeply and tucked my pen behind my ear, crumpling up the drawing and tossing it across the room into a waste basket, already overflowing with all my previously discarded attempts. Go figure, I missed.

Things had basically went back to normal for me in the months following my first and only job. As normal as they could considering I now had enough money in my bank account to make Bill Gates look like a bum. I'd moved out of the tiny apartment I had been forced to share with a roomate who I didn't even like, and into my own studio/flat. It really wasn't too much larger than my previous address, but the peace in knowing that the place was all mine was comforting. The drawing room was my most favorite place in the apartment, the place where I spent most of my free time; the entire west wall filled with my sketches, a huge bookshelf filled with all kinds of literature, and my mahogany desk which was pushed up against the north side of the room, looking out the windows at the view of Paris. The Eiffel Tower the most prominent feature across the skyline.

I'd also returned to school to further my career in architecture, all my student loans now paid in full and the entirety of my upcoming semesters taken care of. It was great knowing I was now financially stable and in a few years I would be set up with a good job in a career I loved. However, there was still a void in my life that I just couldn't fill.

Nothing is ever quite the same after you've been a part of the world of dreams. No building I drew now could ever exist in reality. Recently I couldn't seem to focus on my assignments. Every time I touched my pen to paper another impossible idea seemed to flow onto my sketch book. I missed the freedom of constructing structures with nothing but my mind, 'pure creation' I'd once called it. Reality could not compare.

I missed my team too, the men I'd grown to know as my friends. Cobb, the leader and one of the greatest Architects I'd ever met, though constantly plagued by thoughts of his desceased wife, Mal; never gave up the hope that he'd one day see his kids again. Yusuf, the funny genius Chemist who was always playing around with new concoctions, constantly creating and experimenting. Eames, the hilarious although sometimes annoying Forger, his British accent and witty banter always entertaining. And finally, Arthur; Cobb's point man, always clad in his three-piece suits, giving a air of mysteriousness while all the while maintaining his well-kept look and confident demeanor.

I missed each and every one of them, but Arthur most of all. Throughout the months that followed the Fischer job I would occasionally still find myself thinking back to the chaste kiss we shared while trying to remain inconspicuous to Fischer's subconcious, and his response after I had noticed that Fischer's projections were still glancing at us suspiciously.

"Yeah, it was worth a shot."

I would regularly find myself trying to dissect the meaning behind those words. Why did he randomly ask me to kiss him to cause a distraction he already knew wouldn't work? The longer I thought about it though the crazier I made myself feel and eventually I tried to shut the entire memory out of my mind, for my sanity's sake.

My dreams were no longer the same, as I feared but expected when I first taken the job. For the first few months after Inception I would have recurring dreams of Cobb's dangerous projection of Mal and being stuck in Limbo. Then slowly over time, I couldn't remember any of my dreams, not sure if I'd even been having any at all. This frightened me. I though back to all the people that Yusuf treated. He would put them into an induced sleep with the help of heavy sedatives just so they could dream again. I got so scared that I went to Miles and begged him to have Cobb call me. Though we were all told to stay out of touch as a safety precaution, Cobb broke the rules and flew to Paris for a few days -his kids in tow, for fear of being away from them- to speak to me.

_"The dream world is addicting, Ariadne. You know that and have known that since the first time I took you under. You've seen what it can to to people, and you saw what it has done to me. It's been years since I've dreamt at all. The damage becomes irreversible after extended periods in other people's dreams" Cobb said while my thoughts drifted back to the first time I'd entered the realm, the cafe that seemed real enough until everything began exploding around us, flying by in slow motion. _

_"I feel horrible for bringing you into this life, never sure what's dream and what's reality anymore" he admitted. "No, no. Don't blame yourself. You did what you had to to do so that you could be with your children again. I don't blame anyone but myself. The dream world is seductive, and I was hooked from the second I came back to the warehouse and accepted the job" I reassured him. He seemed sympathetic._

_"Have you spoken to any of the team, besides me?" I asked quickly. "No, none of them. I have no idea where they even are right now. The last time I saw them was probably the last time you saw them too; at Saito's dinner party shortly after the completion of the Fischer job, where we all recieved our shares of the profit" Cobb answered. "I didn't think so, I don't even know why I asked," I sighed "you all just became like my family, ya know? I miss that."_

_"Yeah, I know" Cobb said, taking my hand. His stay was short, but before he'd left he had placed small green bottle on my living room coffee table with a note underneath._

_'Yusuf gave me this some time ago to help my dreaming, however my mind is too far gone for it to truly work or do any good, so I figured it would benefit you more. It's a low grade sedative but it should help you to better remember your dreams. Use it sparingly, I'm told it works quite well. And remember, if you ever need anything, I'm only a phone call away. Don't hesitate. __- Dom'_

It'd been a month since Cobb's visit, but now I sat on my bed, the green bottle in my hands. I looked at it and tipped it back and forth while watching the serum go from one end to the other, mulling over the cursive instructions Cobb had left. "Well, it's worth a shot, right?" I asked myself. I popped the cork stopper off the bottle and very carefully poured three drops of the potion into the glass of water on my nightstand that I'd filled only moments before digging the gift from my dresser drawer. After the liquid mixed into my drink, the clear water took on an opalescent glow.

I stared at it for a few more seconds before bringing the glass to my awaiting lips and draining the entire contents. I sat back, waiting, putting my now empty cup back onto the coaster on my nightstand, trading it for the book next to it. Obviously the effects weren't instantaneous, so I opened it to my bookmarked page and began to read as I scooted farther back onto my goose-down pillows.

I don't remember falling asleep, but within ten minutes I was completely out and now standing in front of the large hotel I'd been drawing over and over for months.

I walked through the revolving doors and it was as if I'd stepped right back into the Fischer job. The lobby was exactly the same, neutral colored walls, utilitarian furniture and spase walls, only decorated with what were probably recreations of priceless originals here and there. The projections of my subconcious walked by me as I took in every detail. I came to the stairs Arthur had designed. Paradox stairs; they never ended yet never seemed to go anywhere, simply taking you back to the exact same spot you'd been moments before.

My eyes wandered to the modern little couch near the stairs that Arthur and I had sat during the Inception, where he'd kissed me. It all felt too real and when I heard the deep familiar voice from behind me I was happy that the serum Cobb had provided me actually worked.

"Ariadne?" I heard as I turned towards the stairs. Arthur was only a few feet away from me, looking as dashing as he always did, wearing a black suit with a grey shirt, his hair slicked back like normal. "May I ask you why you're dreaming of me?" he questioned, walking slowly in my direction. "I-I'm not sure" I stuttered as he got closer to me. "I miss you Ari" he told me. 'This is a dream,' I told myself, 'this is my imagination.'

Arthur inched closer and there was now only a small space between us. "You did?" I asked, now looking up at his face because he was so close. "Of course, how could I not miss my favorite little Architect?" he smiled coyly. I could feel his body heat with as close as he was and he only continued to inch closer until there was no space between us at all.

Arthur wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to his chest. "Ari" he breathed as he leaned his face down to meet mine; our lips were only centimeters apart now. "I love you" Arthur whispered. My eyes were glued to his. The exact moment our lips touched, I heard a shrill ringing noise and my dream projection of Arthur turned into a misty cloud of smoke and floated away. Then everything, the projections, the hotel, everything... faded into nothingness.

I shot up in my bed, the loud ringing still in my ear, and looked to see my cell phone lit up. I reached for the interruption, flipping it open in a hurry and pressing the green button to take the call. 'Whoever it it better have a damn good reason for waking me up' I thought furiously. I ignored the fact that it was an unkwown caller and put the phone to my face.

"Hello?" I snapped. "Hello, Ariadne" a mans voice answered. Immediately I knew who it was by his accent. "Saito?" This was unbeliveable, I had to still be dreaming. "Yes, I apologize for the time but I'm calling because I happen to have another job offer for you." My eyes widened at his last comment, and my breath hitched in my throat, leaving me unable to say anything but stammer, "Wh-What did y-you say?"

"Are you interested?"


	2. Chapter 2

_First off, thank you for all the wonderful reviews from: __**mypokemans56**__, __**heelo5**__, and __**alekeneka**__. I'm new to this and this is my first story obviously, but I really enjoy constructive criticism and compliments. I'm sometimes slow at updating and finishing chapters, but I'll try my best to get new chapters in as soon as possible._

**Disclaimer: Seeing as how I forgot to do this in the first chapter- I DO NOT OWN INCEPTION OR ITS CHARACTERS, I JUST OWN THE PLOT OF THIS STORY.**

Ariadne

I sat impatiently at the airport terminal, trying to keep myself busy while waiting. I'd tried to read the newspaper that someone had left in the seat next to me but quickly gave up when I realized that it was all in Japanese, a language I did not know. Tokyo was a huge city. The airport lobby itself was almost packed to capacity, almost to the point of uncomfortability.

I fiddled with my hands and fidgeted in the bright blue plastic chair in which I was sitting; I was slightly nervous and honestly had no idea who I was even supposed to be waiting for. I thought back to the call I'd recieved only a couple days ago.

_"Are you interested?" Saito asked. _

_"Of course I am, yeah. I'm in. What's the job?" I questioned, still in shock. _

_"All in good time, dear Ariadne. First, I must give you your instructions."_

_"Instructions?" _

_"Yes, this job will be far more complicated and far more difficult than the last, therefore we must keep every detail as anonymous as possible" Saito explained. _

_"I understand completely."_

_"At approximately 10:30 a.m. tomorrow morning, you will receive a small package. It will be delivered to your apartment via FedEx International. Inside you will find a passport and an AirJapan ticket. Your flight will leave Paris at 5:00 that ticket is round trip and you won't be in Tokyo for very long. Pack for about a three to four day trip."_

_"Okay" I answered, making a mental note of his instructions._

_"You will wait at the airport, your ride will find you. From there you will be taken to your hotel. Later that night, I will call you again and my driver will take you to the meeting place I have arranged, where you will accompany myself and the rest of the team. There you will be briefed on the job."_

_"Who is the team?"_

_"As I said, all in good time. I will see you soon, Ariadne." Saito said, then abpruptly hung up the phone._

_"Hello? Saito?" _

_The only thing I could hear though was the sound of the dial tone._

It'd been almost an hour since my flight landed and I was starting to worry when an older, short Japanese man- dressed nicely in a suit- came up to my chair. "Are you Ariadne?" he asked me. "Yes, are you..." I started, but he smiled and interrupted before I could finish; not like I knew his name any way. "Saito's driver, yes ma'am. If you'll follow me please, your bags are already being loaded. I will escort you to the limo." Bewildered I answered, "Limo?" "You didn't think Saito would make you take a cab, did you?" he smiled again.

The drive through the city seemed to take hours, but I was mesmerized by the brightness of the lights and the sheer size of the skyscrapers that surrounded me. Paris was a huge city; Tokyo far surpassed it. I'd never seen so many people! The streets were bustling with life, though it was only around seven in the morning.

I sat back against the comfy leather seats of the limo while continuing to watch the urban scenery. I almost drifted off to sleep when I felt the car stop. Saito's driver- who I learned was named Daisuke- opened my door. "Welcome to the Royal Hideaki Hotel, Miss Ariadne" he said, holding out his hand and helping me from the limo.

I stared up at the huge building before me. "What does, Hid-Hideaki mean?" I asked Daisuke. "Ah, Hideaki means shining excellence or splendid brightness. You will see why soon enough." I did catch what he meant very soon. The placed almost screamed filthy rich and suddenly I felt overwhelmed as I saw businessmen and women who were gorgeous enough to be models, walk out in Armani suits and high-end designer dresses.

I now regretted just throwing on my normal attire. I was in a pair of my trademark skinny jeans, a long-sleeved shirt and a wook cardigan, an orange scarf wrapped around my neck and a pair of beat up Converse on my feet. I was completely out of my element.

"Mr. Saito suggests that you rest for awhile, with your flight being so long. You will recieve a call from him tonight around nine or so. Your bags are being taken to you room, and should be waiting for you there. Shall I escort you up?" he asked politely. "Sure, thank you."

If I'd felt out of place before, when I entered the lobby things were far worse than I'd feared. The lobby was magnificent and being an architect, I had to admire the workmanship. The walls were tiled in what looked to be pure gold, giving the space a feel of royalty. The floors were solid white marble and sparkled so bright that they reflected off the golden walls, making the room glow. For a second I even swore I saw my reflection in it.

There was a main desk with the same marble countertop as the floor beneath it and an area with couches strategically placed, facing a huge flat screen television. The couches looked to be some kind of red velvet, luxurious in appearance. They all sat atop a Persian rug, which no doubt, probably cost a fortune in itself. The most prominent features however, were the massive marble pillars.

I could only imagine what a single person room here would cost and was glad Saito was funding this little trip. Daisuke walked me to the counter and spoke in rapid Japanese to the concierge while I continued to take in the grandeur of the lobby. Seconds later, the woman behind the desk handed Daisuke an old fashioned looking gold key, which was obviously to my room.

"This way Miss" Daisuke said, holding his hand out and gesturing me forward to the elevator. 'Even the elevator was grand!' I thought as I noticed that the floor buttons seemed to be made out of crystal. Daisuke pushed the button with the number twenty-six on it and I realized immediately that I probably wouldn't be staying in the one bedroom suite I'd expected.

My fears and dreams, were confirmed when we'd reached the 26th floor. There were only four doors in the hall, which meant that there were only four suites on this level. Each were probably the size of my apartment. When Daisuke opened the door I realized my guesstimation was correct.

The suite was slightly more modern than the lobby. The living room area was absolutely gorgeous. Little cream colored furniture filled it, and the far end of the space was nothing but windows overlooking Tokyo. To the left was a cute little kitchen area with a small bar, the contents complimentary, I'm sure. The bedroom was amazing as well, with another stunning view and a big, very comfy looking bed; my luggage was sitting at the foot of it.

"I will leave you alone to get settled. Get some rest Miss" Daisuke said as he let himself out. When I heard the door click shut I bolted towards the bed and launched myself at it, plopping down on my stomach, laughing hysterically. Sure it was childish, but I enjoyed it. I'd probably never again stay in a room this nice, had to make the most of it.

Daisuke was right. As soon as I let myself relax I felt more tired than normal. Jetlag was kicking in. Quickly, I ditched my cardigan and scarf and traded my jeans for a pair of sweats. I pulled the blinds and climbed back onto the bed, tucking myself under the thick comforter. I'd refused to take any of the serum Cobb left me, which was convieniently tucked away into my toiletry bag. I wanted to let my mind power down and give it a chance to recharge.

I woke up around seven, amazed that I'd been out for twelve hours. I felt refreshed though. For awhile I poked around the suite. I played with the big remote I'd found, discovering that not only did it change the channels of the impressive flat screen in the living room, but it also closed the automatic blinds, turned on the little fire place, and blared the surround sound stereo that I didn't even see hidden in the wall by the tv.

I found myself trying to pass the time in any way possible. After about thirty minutes of flipping through Japanese soap operas, Japanese game shows, and Japanese cartoons- all in Japanese- I heard a knock at the door. When I answered, I saw a young man with a garment bag on a hanger and a box under his arm. "Uhm, can I help you?" I asked reluctantly. "Delivery" he replied with a heavy accent.

"Oh no, no, no. You must have the wrong room" I insisted. "Floor twenty-six, room three. Right room, says on letter." He handed me an envelope with my name and room number on it, then held out the bag and the box. I took the items and shut the door as he walked away. As I went back to my bedroom, I lay the bag and box down and opened the letter.

'Consider this a gift for accepting the job. I hope you like it. -Saito'

I threw the letter down beside the bag and unzipped it slowly. Inside was one of the most beautiful dresses I'd ever seen. It was a stunning mid-calf length, strapless cocktail dress. The fabric was a plain black, but a vintage green lace had been draped over the fabric and added on. I quickly checked the tag. Size two. How would Saito possibly have known my size? As I checked I saw the designer's name, Dolce & Gabbana. God only knew how expensive the garment was. In the box were a pair of black pumps, no doubt very pricey too.

After taking a shower and drying my hair, I spent awhile taming my waves into a loose bun, some of my bangs framing my face. When my hair was satisfactory, I put on a bit of makeup. My skin was creamy with a rosy glow on my cheeks and my brown eyes now seemed to glimmer from the smokey eyeshadow I'd applied.

Before returning to the living room I glanced quickly at my reflection and almost didn't recognize myself. As I stared at the breathtaking beauty in the mirror I heard the ring of a telephone. I ran from the bathroom and snatched up the phone by the bed on the third ring.

"Hello?" I answered, slightly winded. "Daisuke, the driver from this morning is waiting for you outside. He will take you directly to the restaurant where we will be dining. When you arrive, simply give tell the hostess your name and she will seat you accordingly." I heard Saito explain. "Thank you, for the dress and everything." Saito laughed. "See you soon."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone. Sorry it has taken me so long to update. I just started college up again, and it's kind of consuming most of my free time. But I promise I'll update whenever I can. Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed. Hope to see a lot more after Chapter Three is up!**

**This was my inspiration for Ariadne's green lace Dolce & Gabbana dress. **

**a href=".com/albums/zz189/KelleyMichelleBennefeld/?action=view¤t;=" target="_blank"img src="." border="0" alt="Photobucket"/a**

Ariadne

As I sat once again in the limo, I admired the city. The lights though visible in the early morning, shone a thousand times brighter across the night sky. The streets appeared to be bathed in a rainbow of colors; reds, blues, purples, and oranges. Each ray of color coming from various lights or electronic billboards. I smiled to myself, still smug from only moments before. After hanging up the phone and putting on my heels, I took the elevator down to the lobby to find Daisuke. When I reached the ground floor and stepped out of the elevator I was slightly confused. Everyone in the lobby was staring at me. 'Is my hair messed up?' I wondered as I continued to receive glares from the guests and workers. Some looked stunned while others, jealous. I'd never been admired or envied this much in my life and I took it in, walking a little bit taller now.

The ride from the hotel to the restaurant rendevous was not nearly as long as the ride from the airport to the hotel this morning and I was glad for that. I was ready to be reunited with my team. My heart began to race as I thought of Arthur. The restaurant was very large, I noticed as the car came to a halt. Seconds later, Daisuke came to open my door, but in excitement I'd already exited the limo. "I trust you can find your way from here?" he asked. I smiled in return and he nodded knowingly. I entered the restaurant and approached the hostess stand. A small but pretty woman said, "Can I help you?"

"My name is Ariadne. I'm meeting-" But she cut me off. "Ah, Mr. Saito. Yes, yes. Follow me please." The woman zig-zagged through the crowded restaurant, which from the dim lights, dance floor and music playing overhead I'd realized was also probably a club or bar. I followed her around tables to the South end, passing a small sign that read V.I.P. When she held open a curtain, I'd ducked through and entered the V.I.P section. "Ariadne, love!" I heard someone shout in a familiar British accent. I turned my body to the left and immediately felt a large pair of arms embrace me.

"Eames! Oh it's so good to see you!" I exclaimed, hugging him fiercely while laughing. He let me down and I stared at him. Still the same old Eames, big and strong, slightly scruffy face, a tan sports jacket and pants, and a brightly colored shirt. "How have you been? Where have you been? You must tell me everything!" I demanded. Eames laughed lightly then leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Give it a minute, dear. There are a few others excited to see you and one that's excited to meet you."

Saito appeared next, shook my hand and said, "This dress compliments you perfectly, Ariadne. I shall send my thanks to the designers and commend them on a job well done." I looked at him, puzzled until it clicked. "Wait a minute, this dress was designed for me?" Saito only smiled and returned to his seat at the large round table in the middle of the room. Yusuf was the next to greet me, and following him closely was a small blonde woman who was stunningly attractive, but wore black rimmed glasses and had a loop ring in her nose. "This is Meagan, and she dabbles in a bit of everything." Yusuf introduced her. Meagan smiled nervously, and shook my hand. "Chemistry, Forgery, Research. You name it, I do it. Except Architecture. Never really had a talent for that."

After they returned to their seats, my eyes searched the room for the one person I was most anxious to see. Arthur came forward then and my breath caught in my throat. I observed him quickly. He was wearing a black three piece suit, with a grey shirt, just like in my dream. He looked better than my memory could ever do him justice. "Hello, Ariadne" he greeted quietly, walking over to me. "It's been far too long." I smiled shyly at him and he returned his excitement with a smirk. "It's wonderful to see you Arthur."

He did something very unexpected then, something very un-Arthur-like. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into a hug. I embraced him, clasping my hands around him and laying my head on his chest. I was waiting for Eames to joke about our display, but I never heard his voice. No one seemed to notice our silent reunion. It felt as soon as he'd grasped me, it ended, and Arthurs arms released me, holding my elbows though, keeping my close.

"You look splendid, as always. Though I see you're not wearing your usual scarf." he stated, glancing at my bare neck. I suddenly felt self-conscious. The girl in front of Arthur now was not the one from moments before; the girl who was flaunting her looks in an expensive dress. "But this dress," he began, looking me over, "you're doing quite a job making it look good." I blushed as he complimented me. "Come and sit, let us get some drinks." Saito called us over from his spot at the large round table in the center of the room.

I took a seat next to Eames and he winked at me. Arthur sat to my right by Saito. Meagan and Yusuf next to him. Our waitress came and asked us what we'd like to drink. "Saki" Saito said first. "Dirty Martini, two olives" Meagan answered. Yusuf was next, "Your finest Bourbon, thank you." Eames smiled at the young woman, "Scotch on the rocks." The waitress then turned to me. "What kind of red wine do you recommend?" She smiled, "Ah, our best red wine is a 1997 Dom. Romane Conti. It's a French red Burgundy."

"That sounds excellent." I decided. She turned to Arthur. "I'll have the same. Haven't had a good glass of wine in some time. Besides, I'm tired of scotch. Eames has insisted upon it ever since we've been here." Eames frowned. "Loosens you up, lad."

"Yes, and clouds my memory as well." Arthur retorted.

"Wait, how long have you two been here?" I questioned. "We got here 'round three days ago, I'd say," Eames told me. "Yusuf shortly after, Meagan yesterday, and you this morning."

"Oh"

After the waitress returned with our various drinks, we sat and chatted, just like we'd never been apart for a whole year. "So Eames, what happened to you after the Fischer job?" I asked curiously. "Eh," he began, taking a sip of his scotch, "went back to Mombasa for awhile, got bored pretty quick though. Took a little trip back to jolly ole England. Then I got a strange desire to go snowboarding, blame that one on the last dream level of the Fischer job. Met some lovely ladies while I was there though..." he paused, smiling to himself, "Well, you know me, love."

"Yes, I do know you Eames, I think we all know you." I joked. "Ah, except Miss Meagan. She don't know me, yet." Eames laughed then downed the rest of his scotch. I sipped at my wine, thinking of Eames corrupting our newest team member. "What about you, Ariadne?" I heard Arthur ask. "Hmmm?"

"How has life been after the Inception?"

I thought to myself for a moment. I wasn't about to tell Arthur how increasingly difficult things had become for me after the job. I would also avoid telling him of my many dreamless nights and near mental breakdown when I'd realized I could no longer dream. And I definitely wouldn't share with him the intimate dream I'd had of the two of us, only nights before. "I've been good. I'm going back to school, and surprisingly I was able to catch up on all my missed work. I got my own apartment too."

"That's great, I'm happy for you." Arthur told me. "And yourself?" I asked him in return.

"I've been fairly decent. I'm so attached to this life, the dream world, that I just couldn't stay away from it. I've been working. Doing small extractions here and there. Until Saito called, of course." I listened to Arthur intently as he shared stories of what he'd been up to. I also learned a bit about our newest team member, Meagan. She was a science major from Boston, Massachusetts, studying abroad. That's where she'd met Yusuf and how she came to be a part of the group. When Saito called, Yusuf explained to him of Meagan's potential.

When everyone had ordered their food and it had been delivered to our table, Saito cleared his throat.

"You all know why you're here. You are here because I have hired you for a job. Now, it is time to give you a little insight on this job. How much do you- any of you- know about Leland Brockman?" I looked around the table. I had no idea who Saito was talking about. "The founder or Brockman Enterprises?" Meagan asked. "Yes, yes. Very good." Saito praised. "What is Brockman Enterprises exactly?" Eames questioned, looking at Saito then Meagan. "Brockman Enterprises is a large, American-based energy conglomerate, about to be taken over by Leland Brockman's son, Carter Brockman. As you can see, this poses a threat to my company, but there are far more underlying problems that come into play."

Arthur spoke up, "Like what, exactly?"

"About thirteen years ago, Carter's father, Leland was just getting his corporation on it's feet in Australia where he first started out. Brockman Sr. was probably raking in a few million a year after his first year of business, but it just wasn't enough." I sipped my wine quietly as I focused on Saito's words. "So, Brockman began offering to merge with several other companies to increase his overall profit. It was hard to say whether or not this was a smart move on his part, but even though he was now splitting his earning seven different ways with his business partners and taking a huge risk in doing so, his popularity and reputation quickly grew, as did his company. Brockman Enterprises was well on its way to becoming a mega-corporation and Brockman was planning to expand to America by the end of the year."

"Sounds like everything was going well for him" Yusuf stated. Meagan nodded in agreement. "So what happened?" I asked. "Brockman's company mysteriously went belly-up only two weeks later, after he held a meeting advising all of his mergers to invest all of their earnings into the fund for his expansion. All his business partners who'd signed on with the company, lost everything."

Eames held up his hand, then replied, "Forgive me if I'm a little slow, I'll blame it on the scotch, but how exactly does this story relate to you, Saito? Cause I'm missing the point."

"You were one of the mergers, weren't you?" I stated, stunned.

"Precisely, I went completely bankrupt. I, like the five others, was convinced that Brockman Enterprises was a great investment, and that in a few months when we'd conquered the American front, we'd all be billionaires. When Brockman's company failed, and I lost mine, I also lost so much more. The majority of my belongings were repossessed, until I had nothing. Then, I was evicted from my home, unable to pay the mortgage. Finally, the worst blow of all. My wife told me one day that she was leaving and taking our five year old daughter with her. Everything was gone, even my reason for living." Saito finished solemnly.

"What about Brockman? Surely he was in the the same predicament? Surely he lost a lot of money too?" Yusuf said. Saito then told him, matter-of-factly, "Quite the contrary. Rumor has it that Brockman sat aside over half of his lifetime earnings and savings in an account only a few weeks before the company crashed."

"Well how do you know that for sure if it's only a rumor?" Meagan piped up.

"How else could Brockman's company be up and running again, making more than he'd ever made only three years later?" We all exchanged glances. Saito had a point. "Brockman is now living quite comfortably in America. His son, Carter, who is now twenty-five is being trained to take over Brockman Enterprises. His final task is to hire an architect and a team to design and build a new branch of the enterprise in New York City. If Carter succeeds, his father will give him full control of his corporation. That means that any deals he might make, any business transactions he might complete, or any partners he might take on, will be entirely up to him. To put it simply, we want Carter Brockman to succeed." Saito smiled.

Everyones faces were stunned after what Saito had just said. Why in the world would he want Carter Brockman to succeed? Eames was the first to speak up. "What? That makes absolutely no sense at all."

"Oh yes it does. You see, this is where the team- all of you- will come in. We are going to perform an Inception on Carter Brockman." Saito said, folding his hands together. "Are you bloody insane? Do you remember how you almost died last year, or did you enjoy being stuck in Limbo for God knows how long while Ariadne and Cobb went in looking for you?" Eames shouted. "You were in Limbo?" Meagan exhaled heavily, her hand over her mouth while looking from Saito, to me, then back.

I didn't want to think about the things I'd seen or experienced in Limbo, most of all, Cobb's shade of Mal, so I looked away, never answering our new team member. Saito finally broke the silence and everyone turned to him. "I will not be accompanying you this time. This job is completely dependent on your compliance. Anyone who wants out may go. I will not stop you."

I watched Arthur. His usually emotionless face showed the tiniest glint of worry, mixed with suspicion. Though he always tried to hide his feelings, I'd become very good at reading him after all the time we spent going over the plans and mazes for the Fischer Inception. We'd shared a lot of dreams too. Arthur was nervous about this job, though he'd never admit it, but at the same time his confidence shown through. It was like he was having an inner debate on whether to stay or go. I had already made up my mind, and Arthur immediately knew my answer the second he looked at me. I waited, staring into his eyes. "I'm still in." I said, breaking his gaze and turning back to Saito.

"Me too." Arthur decided. "We're both in." Yusuf spoke for himself and Meagan. "Eames?" Saito asked. The Brit had his arms folded over his chest, and quickly glanced at everyone in the room. "Damn death wish if you ask me," he finally said after a few moments; he then reached for his glass of scotch and downed the rest of its contents in one long swig. "But what the hell, I'm in."

"So, what's the plan exactly?" Yusuf questioned. Saito smiled, then cleared his throat so we could all hear him. "As I mentioned, Carter Brockman has been given the task to hire an architect and a team to design and build his father's new building."

"I see where I come in." I chimed. My job sounded easy enough so far. "Yes, yes, but that isn't you're only part in this Ariadne." Saito responded. This caught me off guard. Not my only part? What else could I possibly be needed for? "What do you mean?"

"The Inception itself should be fairly easy once you've set up the dynamics of the plan. Planting the idea should be quite simple. What were relying on depends on whether the idea takes. If it does, what follows will be more difficult."

"What follows?" Meagan asked curiously. My eyes darted from her to Saito. "What will follow?"

"Ariadne, we need to plant two different ideas in Carter Brockman's mind. The first, and easiest, is that we must convince him to hire you as the architect that will design his father's building."

I interrupted him, "Yes, I understand that but-" He cut me off before I could finish. "But, while we're there, we must plant another idea, a conjoining idea. One that will be more difficult to form and place, but it is an idea we very much need him to believe. The whole plan depends on his belief of this idea. We want Carter Brockman to fall in love with you."

**Yes, I know. Such a horrible place to stop. I'm sure some of you are thinking, 'WTF?' Don't worry, it'll all make sense in the next chapter, promise. Thanks again to everyone who has been reading and reviewing. Hope you all are still sticking with me!**


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